Permanent electric match



July 27, 1954 J. STARR 2,685,051

I PERMANENT ELECTRIC MATCH Filed Aug. 22, 1952 E" .4 m .l i 8 INVENTOR.J H u sfi-Amm Patented July 27, 1954 UNITED STAT 1". ATENT OFFICE 1Claim.

This invention relates to electric lighters, and more particularly to anelectric lighter of the type wherein the ignition of a torch or matchelement is eiiected by momentarily engaging the same between twoelectric contacts, thereby opening and closing an electric circuit toproduce a spark, said spark serving to ignite the torch or matchelement.

The main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedelectric lighter which is simple in construction, which is easy to use,and which may be permanently mounted in a convenient location for usewhenever it is desired to lgnite the match element thereof, for anypurpose, such as for the lighting of cigarettes, and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved electriclighter which involves inexpensive components, which is neat inappearance, which is sturdy in construction, and which is safe to use.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claim, and from the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an improved electric lighter assemblyconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 22 ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse cross sectional view taken on the line33 of Figure 1.

Figure l is a horizontal cross sectional view taken on the line 3- 3 ofFigure 2.

Referring to the drawings, the electric lighter is designated generallyat H and comprises a rectangular front plate 52 of insulating material,a rectangular rear plate it of insulating material, and bolts It at therespective corners of the plates, said bolts extending through saidcorners and through spacer sleeves i5 interposed between the plates, thebolts being provided at their rear ends with nuts l6 whereby therespective plates i2 and i3 are rigidly secured in parallel spacedrelationishp. Secured to the rear plate it in substantially parallelrelationship are the opposing spaced serrated metal strips ii and I8,the serrations of the strips being shown respectively at I9 and 29, saidserrations opposing each other and being spaced apart in the mannerclearly illustrated in Figure 2.

The front plate i2 is formed with a slot 2! which is in registry withthe serrations i9 and 20, said slot being provided with a metal frameplate 22 on the front surface of the insulating plate l2 whichreinforces the edges of the slot 2| and protect said edges against wear.

Secured to the rear plate 13 parallel to and spaced from the serratedstrip H is a coil 23, said coil comprising a relatively'large number ofturns of wire, sufiicient to provide substantial inductance for thecoil, the coil being enclosed in a suitable protective housing, and thehousing being clamped to the rear plate [3 by a clamping strap 24, asshown in Figures 2 and 4. One terminal of the coil 23 is connected tothe metal strip I! by a wire 25. Connected to the other terminal of thecoil 23 is the line wire 25. Connected to the remaining metal strip I8is the line wire 21. The line wires 26 and 2? are connected, by means ofa suitable plug, to an electric outlet.

Secured to the front surface of the front insulating plate I2 is avertical receptacle 28 which may contain cotton or similar porousmaterial, as shown at 29, said porous material being saturated with asuitable volatile liquid fuel, such as benzine or the like. Thecontainer 28 is provided with the neck 30 in which is disposed the metalrod 3 l said metal rod being provided at its top end with the supportingflange 32 adapted to rest on the rim of the neck 30, as shown in Figure3, and the top end of the rod being provided with the insulating handle33 of rubber or suitable insulating material. The lower end of the rod3| is formed with an axial bore 3 3 in which is secured a wick 35 ofporous material adapted to absorb the liquid fuel in the receptacle 28.As shown in Figure 3, the wick projects a short distance beyond thelower end of the rod 3|.

In using the device, the rod 3| is extracted from the receptacle 28 andthe end thereof is inserted through the slot 2i and is moved verticallyalong the serrations l9 and 29, the metal portion of the rod 3| adjacentthe wick 35 making intermittent contact with the serrations as the rodis moved along said serrations, whereby an electrical circuit isintermittently opened and closed, said circuit containing the coil 23,and therefore having substantial inductance. As the circuit is openedand closed, voltages of substantial magnitude are induced, causing asubstantial spark to occur each time the circuit is opened and closed asthe metal rod is drawn past the serrations l9 and 211. The spark ignitesthe wick 35, producing a flame which may be employed for lightingcigarettes, and for similar purposes. To extinguish the flame, it ismerely necessary to insert the rod 3| into the vessel 28, whereby theflame is extinguished by being cut off from the source of oxygen in theatmosphere.

The rear plate 3| is provided at its top edges with the apertured anglebrackets 36, 36, whereby 3 the device may be attached to a wall in aconvenient location so that it is readily accessible for use wheneverdesired.

While a specific embodiment of an improved electric lighter has beendisclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood thatvarious modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur tothose skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitationsbe placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of theappended claim.

What is claimed is:

In an electric lighter, a front plate of insulating material, a rearplate of insulating material, and means rigidly connecting said platesin spaced parallel relation, a pair of flat metal strips secured to saidrear plate in side by side parallel, coplanar relationship, the inneredges of said strips being formed with serrations, the teeth of theserrations on one edge being staggered relative to the teeth of theserrations on the other edge, said front plate being formed with a slotregistering with the serrations of said strips, a coil mounted betweensaid plates, a first circuit wire connected to one of the strips, asecond circuit Wire, said coil being connected in series between saidsecond circuit wire and the other strip, said circuit wires beingadapted to be connected to a voltage source, a receptacle mounted onsaid front plate, a metal rod removably supported in said receptacle,said metal rod member being formed with an axial bore at one end, and aninflammable wick secured in said bore and projecting from said one end,said wick being ignited when the rod member is moved through the slot inintermittent contact with the serrations.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,593,978 Cajumi Apr. 22, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 567,210 Great Britain Feb. 2, 1945 786,116 France Aug. 27, 1935

